Go for Sisters

I avoided this film for the longest time on Netflix. The poster made me think it was going to be some bad 1970’s blaxploitation film, complete with ugly corduroy bell bottoms.

I finally decided to read the synopsis and realized the film came out last year. I don’t know how I missed it. The movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

“It’s a story of two childhood friends, a parole officer named Bernice and a recovering drug addict named Fontayne , who team up to solve the mysterious disappearance of Bernice’s troubled son Rodney, a suspect in a killing. The film’s title is explained in a throwaway bit of dialogue early on: as kids, the women were so close and so compatible that other people thought they could “go for sisters,” or be related.” http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/go-for-sisters-2013

It was surprising because it was about two everyday black women. And they acted like everyday folks. It’s rare to see black women characters like that. In most contemporary movies, black characters are ridiculously wealthy or over the top. This film at least tried to humanize the women.

I was happy to see Yolanda Ross (Fontayne) play a different role. The movies I have seen her in she has been typecast as “crazy” black mamas. Ross is beautiful to me, so it was nice to see her dolled up for a change.

LisaGay Hamilton was also great as Bernice. It took me a while to place her. She’s one of those actors you see all the time but never catch their name. Hamilton has starred in numerous movies including “Beloved” with Oprah and Kimberly Elise.

The film was similar to Quentin Tarantino(who gets on my nerves) movies, where nothing really happens, but a lot of stuff happens. The film moves at a slow place, but it’s worth checking out.

2 thoughts on “Go for Sisters”

I’m still trying to see this. John Sayles usually does a better job with racial representations, but I don’t think he’s ever had a black woman-led film before this. I’d really like to see if he does a good job in letting these characters be complicated and realistic.

Yes, I was surprised to learn it was written/directed by a white man. I guess one could argue Ross’s character is the stereotypical black recovering drug addict, but she gets to maintain her dignity for the most part. Let me know what you think when you see it 🙂